Pointing the finger of blame!
Our second entry for today is slightly different. Possibly the birding in Cyprus is all the more enjoyable because it was touch and go whether we got here or not. Thanks to a total mess by the airlines our flights had been cancelled without notifying us which nearly left us stranded in the UK, jeopardising our trip to Cyprus and Turkey, and also jeopardising our world-record attempt as a result.Back in November 2007 we'd booked flights from the UK to Cyprus with British Airways, or rather as it turned out, we booked them with GB Airways via an online travel consolidator called Travel Republic Ltd. Now, those of you with ready access to world news may know that easyJet bought out GB Airways earlier this year, but being on the road all the time, we were unaware of this. Unaware that is, until two days before the flight on 15th May when we tried to confirm our flights with British Airways only to be told that they had been cancelled, but no problem, just speak to easyJet as they had taken over existing bookings. Sadly, easyJet denied any knowledge of us as we had not featured on any passenger lists supplied by BA, so we had no flights with either of them. Back to Travel Republic who'd happily taken our money in November but who unhappily could not transfer us to any existing flight as they had not been advised by either BA or easyJet, neither of which had us on any passenger list. By now, we were beginning to despair. We had spent a whole day trying to sort out the mess that these three had created and in the meantime the flights we should have been on had become fully booked. In desperation we were forced to book entirely new flights with easyJet. We've had to pay £300 more than our original tickets and have to fly back a day earlier so losing a day's birding as that was the only flight left available. All this because three companies have made a total mess and all of them are passing the buck and denying final responsibility. Who is to blame? BA for missing us off the original passenger lists? EasyJet for not honouring our original booking? Or Travel Republic who can't even call back when they say they will, keep you hanging on the line interminably while the phone charges rack up, but are happy to take your money having no idea of good customer service? You decide. But we're not happy and we want them and you to know about it. Would we recommend Travel Republic? Certainly not.